In a striking victory that underscores the rising influence of the hard left in local politics, 20-year-old Cornell University student Hannah Shvets has won a seat on Ithaca’s Common Council, defeating independent candidate G.P. Zurenda in the city’s Fifth Ward race.
Shvets secured 64.12% of the vote, according to The Ithacan, riding a wave of endorsements from Democratic Socialists of America chapters, the Ithaca Tenants Union, and other progressive grassroots organizations.
Shvets, a Democrat and sophomore at Cornell, ran on a platform that reflected deep alignment with radical housing and labor priorities — including rent control measures, expanded public transit, and just-cause employment protections.
She also advocated for a minimum wage tied to the Tompkins County living wage, arguing it would not only support workers but also benefit businesses by creating “healthier environments.”
Her affiliation with the far-left was further spotlighted by People’s World, a publication aligned with the Communist Party USA, which identified Shvets as a CPUSA member — a detail not mentioned in her official campaign literature but one that speaks to the ideological identity shaping Ithaca’s new generation of political actors.
People are literally starving to death and dying from preventable health issues in “the wealthiest country in the world” and our government is spending their energy tweeting about “anti-communist week.” Absolutely insane https://t.co/4fDG0DJ15u
— Hannah shvets (@HannahShvets05) November 10, 2025
The Fifth Ward includes much of Cornell’s North Campus and its surrounding residential neighborhoods — a district uniquely positioned at the intersection of transient student populations and long-term residents increasingly affected by Ithaca’s housing and affordability challenges.
Her opponent, G.P. Zurenda, a psychotherapist and former Democrat, ran under the newly formed Affordable Ithaca Party after losing the Democratic primary. Zurenda campaigned on lowering property taxes, improving city management, and pressuring Cornell University to contribute more under its existing memorandum with the city — positions that appealed to more fiscally cautious voters and property owners wary of Ithaca’s rising expenses.
But in a district where student turnout and progressive momentum carried significant weight, Shvets’ coalition delivered. Her win, alongside Jorge DeFendini’s victory in Ward 1, represents a solid foothold for Ithaca’s leftist bloc, continuing a trend of increasing DSA and tenant-union presence in local governance.
With city leadership now further tilted left, the Common Council is poised to double down on tenant protections and labor reforms, even as critics warn of the economic pressures such policies could place on landlords, small businesses, and middle-class homeowners.
